STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Church celebrations to mark the night before Lent go by many names -- Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras or its English translation, which is Fat Tuesday, to name a few -- but the idea is to share a meal and fellowship while ushering in the solemn season that honors the death and ultimate resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

Christians honor the season of Lent with prayer, penance and sacrifice. Pancakes have been a Shrove Tuesday tradition for centuries, a custom many think began in households trying to empty their pantries of sugar, fat and eggs prior to fasting for Lent. The Episcopal churches on Staten Island, in particular, embrace these traditions.

In Rosebank, St. John's Episcopal and St. Mary's R.C. Churches teamed for their ecumenical annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper in Eccleston Hall at St. John's. Non-perishable foods will be contributed to a local feeding ministry and free-will donations will benefit "Hour Children," a nonprofit organization that assists imprisoned mothers and their children.

A Mardi Gras parade by children wearing beads and masks was a high-point of the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper/Mardi Gras! at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Eltingville. Southern favorites such as King Cakes and Moon Pies were enjoyed by all at the free event. St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, also held its festive Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.

At Christ Church New Brighton, the rector, the Rev. Charles Howell, hosted the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and then led the annual burning of last year's Palm Sunday fronds. The children, as always, were fascinated by the fire and the burned palms were ground for use at the parish Ash Wednesday services.